Words Can Hardly Describe It: New York’s Skyline Lit Up at Night
It is almost impossible to put into words the feeling of seeing New York City completely lit up at night from above. This is an absolute must-do experience for anyone traveling to New York.
In my experience, FlyNYON offers the most memorable helicopter tours in the city. The main reason for this is that, unlike most other operators, they fly with open-door helicopters. This means that during the flight, you can literally dangle your legs out of the chopper hundreds of meters above New York and capture those iconic "shoe selfie" photos and videos that you always see on social media.
Safety First
Despite the doors being wide open, you don't have to worry for a single second. Every passenger is secured to their seat with a professional safety harness equipped with a quick-release button for instant detachment in case of an emergency. Before taking off, everyone goes through multiple comprehensive safety briefings.
Your mobile phones and cameras are also tethered to your harness using special cases and lanyards, ensuring there is zero chance of dropping your device onto someone's head below.
Open-Door vs. Closed-Door, Day vs. Night
FlyNYON offers daytime, sunset, and night flights, with ticket prices increasing accordingly. I flew with them at 9:00 PM in early June. While daytime flights are undeniably cheaper, the night flight delivers a vastly richer and more spectacular experience (and I say this as someone who has flown over New York during the day with another company).
The weather was absolutely perfect, though I imagine that during the freezing winter months, the open-door setup might make it too cold to fully enjoy.
Pricing and the "Secret" Upgrade Strategy
While the experience was worth every single penny, booking purely online can get incredibly expensive, sometimes climbing up to $600–$700 per ticket. After doing a bit of research, I came across a tip recommended by several past passengers: it is much cheaper to book the shorter 15–20 minute flight online, and then upgrade to the 30-minute flight in person at the terminal.
That is exactly what I did. By doing the on-site upgrade, my total flight cost came out to around $450 instead of the $600–$700 online rate. I honestly don't quite understand why they use this confusing pricing strategy, but the bottom line is that the trick works!
Location and the Traps of Getting There
FlyNYON’s hangar is located in New Jersey, and getting there can throw a few curveballs at you. The most reliable option is taking an Uber, though that obviously comes with an extra cost. Public transport is available, but it's a bit more complicated. If you want to find the perfect balance between comfort and budget, I highly recommend taking a train into New Jersey first, and then ordering an Uber from there to save some money.
Crucial logistics tip: there are two ways to approach the meeting point, and one of them is very likely to be blocked by a seemingly endless freight train. Because of this, you might have to take a massive detour (there is actually a sign posted out there warning you about this). This train situation nearly made me late for my check-in.
Customer Service and Hospitality
My experience with their customer service and the friendliness of the staff was exceptional. We were looked after by an incredibly warm yet highly professional team. I can wholeheartedly recommend FlyNYON to anyone visiting New York City.
My Flight Experience – Step-by-Step
After arriving in New Jersey by train, I ordered an Uber to the FlyNYON terminal. My driver and I ended up stuck at a railroad crossing for at least 10 minutes while a seemingly never-ending freight train crawled past. I immediately messaged FlyNYON to let them know I was going to be late; they replied within minutes and redirected us via an alternative route (which was also written on a nearby roadside sign—clearly, this train misery is a regular occurrence here).
Once I arrived at the terminal, I signed the waiver and completed a basic questionnaire. Right there at the desk, they offered me the on-site upgrade to the 30-minute flight for about $105, and I am so glad I took it! The standard 15-minute flight only takes you as far as the Statue of Liberty, the Financial District ("money shot"), and the Hudson River. The 30-minute flight, however, crosses all the way over Central Park, Midtown Manhattan, the East River, and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Next, I went through three separate safety presentations, and then they fitted us into our professional harnesses and secured our phone/camera lanyards. Unfortunately, Donald Trump decided that exact evening to fly out by helicopter to a Knicks game, which temporarily grounded all air traffic and locked down the airspace, so we had to wait. At least we were able to use the downtime to charge our phones.
After a short wait, we were driven out to our helicopter in a shuttle van. We were split into two groups: one for the short 15-minute loop and one for the 30-minute flight. Following one final, on-site safety demonstration, we took our seats in the aircraft and lifted off.
Seats are allocated based on weight distribution, but everyone gets the chance to dangle their legs outside, so seat location doesn't matter.
The helicopter first headed toward the Statue of Liberty, the classic Manhattan skyline money shot, and Governor's Island, before banking north and flying all the way up to Central Park. By this point, of course, we were already happily dangling our legs out of the open doors. For 30 spectacular minutes, we flew right over all the iconic skyscrapers and landmarks before heading back. The flight was incredibly smooth, and I didn't feel motion sick for a single second.
After landing, there was an opportunity to take some photos by the helicopter with our own devices. The shuttle then drove us back to the main building, bringing our unforgettable helicopter adventure to an end.
